Patent attributes
This ethylbenzene process involves contacting, in an alkylation zone, a first benzene recycle stream and an ethylene feed stream with an alkylation catalyst to form ethylbenzene. In a transalkylation zone, a polyethylbenzene recycle stream and a second benzene recycle stream are contacted with a transalkylation catalyst to form additional ethylbenzene. The effluents are passed into a dividing wall distillation column. An ethylbenzene stream is removed from an intermediate point of the dividing wall fractionation column; a first benzene recycle stream is removed from a first end and a flux oil stream is removed from a second end. A second benzene recycle stream is removed from an intermediate point located between the first end and the ethylbenzene stream. A polyethylbenzene stream is removed from an intermediate point of located between the second end and the ethylbenzene stream.
